1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a method of executing in an image forming apparatus an application installed in an outside server.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are two major ways of supporting an open platform in a multifunction printer (MFP). The first way is a method of installing a whole application in the MFP. The second way is a method of installing the application in a separate outside server and showing only a user interface (UI) of the application on the MFP instead. According to this second way, when a user controls the application through the UI shown on the MFP, the MFP communicates with the outside server where the application has been installed, and operates the application.
In the second way, usually the MFP shows the UI of the application to the user through a web browser, and the application installed in the outside server gives a command to the MFP by calling from the outside an open application programming interface (API) of the MFP. In this method, the MFP has to be able to recognize the application installed in the outside server. Conventionally, the user had to input metadata of the application directly into the MFP, which caused inconvenience. Moreover, if there was a firewall between the MFP and the outside server, in order for the application installed in the outside server to give a command to the MFP, the MFP had to support a JavaScript API.